editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Deborah Amos covers the Middle East for NPR News. Her reports can be heard on NPR's award-winning Morning Edition , All Things Considered and Weekend Edition . Amos travels extensively across the Middle East covering a range of stories including the rise of well-educated Syria youth who are unqualified for jobs in a market-drive economy, a series focusing on the emerging power of Turkey and the plight of Iraqi refugees. In 2009, Amos won the Edward Weintal Prize for Diplomatic Reporting from Georgetown University and in 2010 was awarded the Edward R. Murrow Life Time Achievement Award by Washington State University. Amos was part of a team of reporters who won a 2004 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for coverage of Iraq. A Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1991-1992, Amos was returned to Harvard in 2010 as a Shorenstein Fellow at the Kennedy School. In 2003, Amos returned to NPR after a decade in television news, including ABC's Nightline and World News Tonight and the PBS programsNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Deborah AmosFri, 26 Jan 2018 09:02:47 +0000Deborah Amoshttp://bpr.org
Deborah AmosCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: In the year that President Trump has been in office, immigration has defined his political platform from the first day of his campaign to this week's government shutdown. And the numbers show that he has made some dramatic changes. Immigration arrests in the U.S. interior, meaning far from the border, went up 25 percent over this past year. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: We wanted to understand what the giant, complicated immigration enforcement system looks like to one family caught in the middle of it, so we've spent months reporting this story, gathering documents, sending producers to be there for all the unexpected twists and reversals. And we've waited to tell you this story until we knew how it ended. Hey, Royce. Hey, buddy. (CROSSTALK) SHAPIRO: It's a bright September day in the Pacific Northwest. We're in the backyard of this single-story home, tossing a squeaky toy with a slobbery pit bull named Royce. That's his real name.Nearly 7,000 Syrians Are Waiting To See If Their Protected Status Will Be Renewedhttp://bpr.org/post/nearly-7000-syrians-are-waiting-see-if-their-protected-status-will-be-renewed
77719 as http://bpr.orgThu, 25 Jan 2018 21:21:00 +0000Nearly 7,000 Syrians Are Waiting To See If Their Protected Status Will Be RenewedDeborah AmosLast year began with an angry phone call about refugees, famously leaked later. The newly inaugurated Donald Trump exploded when Australia's prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, asked him to honor a U.S. pledge to resettle some 1,200 refugees from Australia's offshore detention centers. "This is a stupid deal," Trump fumed to an astonished Turnbull. "This shows me to be a dope." A day earlier, the president had signed an executive order temporarily halting the entire U.S. refugee resettlement program and slashed the number of expected arrivals President Obama had set. Trump complained that by honoring the deal with Australia he was "going to get killed" politically and abruptly hung up the phone. It was the harbinger of policies set in motion to unravel the U.S. refugee resettlement program, an issue that defined Trump's election campaign and has shaped much of his first year in office. Attempts to shut down the program, challenged in the courts, have evolved to more calculatedThe Year The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program Unraveledhttp://bpr.org/post/year-us-refugee-resettlement-program-unraveled
76565 as http://bpr.orgMon, 01 Jan 2018 21:56:00 +0000The Year The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program UnraveledDeborah AmosCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: In Saudi Arabia, a five-star hotel was turned into a kind of five-star jail this weekend. Saudi's crown prince was behind a series of corruption arrests and confined several princes to the Ritz-Carlton. Those arrested include former and current cabinet members and a billionaire businessman who is one of the richest people in the world. The arrests have shocked and excited people in the kingdom. NPR's Deborah Amos covers Saudi Arabia and is with us now. Hey, Deb. DEBORAH AMOS, BYLINE: Hey. MCEVERS: So what's going on here? Is this just about corruption, or is it about something more? AMOS: You know, the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has been signaling his moves for months, and the arrests were announced hours after he is named to head an anti-corruption commission. For the Saudis, the arrest list was astonishing. These are powerful, wealthy people thought to be untouchable in the kingdom. But as a supporter of the crownSaudi Arabia's Crown Prince Appears To Be Shifting How Power Works In The Kingdomhttp://bpr.org/post/saudi-arabias-crown-prince-appears-be-shifting-how-power-works-kingdom
73991 as http://bpr.orgMon, 06 Nov 2017 22:14:00 +0000Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Appears To Be Shifting How Power Works In The KingdomDeborah AmosThe Saudi prince behind the weekend's unprecedented arrest of high-level Saudi officials and businessmen is known as young and brash, and has even been called reckless. He is also known to be in tune with Saudi Arabia's youth; those under 25 make up a majority of the country's population. The prince's latest high-risk move has gotten rave reviews from Saudis on Twitter, the country's most popular social media outlet. Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, or MBS, as the 32-year-old leader is known, is gambling that he can modernize the ultra-conservative kingdom by consolidating power and mobilizing a generation of young people, say Saudi analysts inside and outside the kingdom. "Did MBS just pull a red wedding?" asked one supporter on Twitter, comparing the weekend's purge to a bloody family massacre on Game of Thrones. Arrests began on Saturday, hours after the prince was named to head a new anti-corruption commission. The roundup included 11 princes, sitting and former cabinet officialsWith Saudi Arrests, Crown Prince Shows He Can Force Change. But It's Not Democracyhttp://bpr.org/post/saudi-arrests-crown-prince-shows-he-can-force-change-its-not-democracy
73985 as http://bpr.orgMon, 06 Nov 2017 21:24:00 +0000With Saudi Arrests, Crown Prince Shows He Can Force Change. But It's Not DemocracyDeborah AmosSaudi Arabia, a close ally of the United States, is not known for surprises. But in a sudden shift in power, the 31-year-old son of the 81-year-old Saudi king moved one step closer to the throne on Wednesday. King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud promoted Mohammed bin Salman, his youngest son, to crown prince. At the same time, the king ended the career of his nephew, 57-year-old Mohammed bin Nayef, the previous crown prince, who had served as interior minister since 2015. Mohammed bin Salman, who will take on Nayef's old job as interior minister, was relatively unknown in the kingdom when his father came to power 2 1/2 years ago. He has since amassed vast powers, serving as defense minister, overseeing the state oil monopoly and working to overhaul the Saudi economy in the face of a dramatic drop in oil prices. Young Saudis eager for change see the new crown prince as a modernizer and celebrated the surprise announcement on social media. For an older generation, Saudi television coverageWhat To Know About Saudi Arabia's New Crown Prince And The Issues He Will Facehttp://bpr.org/post/what-know-about-saudi-arabias-new-crown-prince-and-issues-hell-face
67575 as http://bpr.orgWed, 21 Jun 2017 22:22:00 +0000What To Know About Saudi Arabia's New Crown Prince And The Issues He Will FaceDeborah AmosGroups that resettle refugees in the United States are facing uncertainty, disarray and possible deep budget cuts as a result of President Trump's executive order on immigration, even after a California appeals court has temporarily halted enforcement. Here's why: The federal appeals court that blocked the president's travel ban on people from seven majority-Muslim nations did not directly rule out two provisions in the executive order. Refugee resettlement agencies are scrambling to figure out what they will do if those provisions survive. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges did not address perhaps the most sweeping provision in the Trump order — the deep cuts in the numbers of refugees allowed to come to the U.S. President Trump slashed the refugee quota for fiscal year 2017 by more than half, to 50,000. In addition, the court did not rule on a provision that would make it easier for states and cities to veto refugee placements. "You don't need to have a moratorium to slowFor Refugees And Advocates, Trump Immigration Order Stay Leads To Disarrayhttp://bpr.org/post/refugees-and-advocates-trump-immigration-order-stay-leads-disarray
61746 as http://bpr.orgMon, 13 Feb 2017 21:51:00 +0000For Refugees And Advocates, Trump Immigration Order Stay Leads To DisarrayDeborah AmosThe Trump administration says it is suspending all refugee admissions to the United States until it can come up with a plan for "extreme vetting." So what could that mean? Refugees are already subjected to multiple interviews and a security vetting by nine U.S. law enforcement, intelligence and security agencies that check their backgrounds, social media activity and the reasons they fled their countries. The process usually takes 18 months or more, according to resettlement agencies. But some of those who helped form President Trump's policies on refugees are upfront in saying this is not actually about stricter security screening. It's about something else. "It means a kind of ideological screening to keep out people who hate a free society even if they are not violent," says Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that supports tighter controls on immigration. Krikorian met with Trump during the campaign and backs theTrump Backers Want Ideology Test For Extreme Vettinghttp://bpr.org/post/trump-backers-want-ideology-test-extreme-vetting
61353 as http://bpr.orgSat, 04 Feb 2017 10:52:00 +0000Trump Backers Want Ideology Test For Extreme VettingDeborah AmosCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit DAVID GREENE, HOST: When President Donald Trump ordered a halt to refugee admissions into the United States, he called for extreme vetting, and we wondered what exactly has the vetting process been up until now. NPR's Deborah Amos has reported a lot on refugees in the United States and overseas. She recently talked to a Syrian who cleared all the hurdles. And we have her on the line now. Hey, Deb. DEBORAH AMOS, BYLINE: Good morning. GREENE: So tell us about the Syrian refugee and exactly what he had to go through to get to the U.S. AMOS: Well, he tells me that it's already extreme. It includes extensive face-to-face interviews, five-six hours. And this is to determine credibility. If your story differs in the slightest detail, you can be denied. There are document checks, school records, marriage, birth certificates. The data is checked with nine law enforcement, intelligence and security agencies. There's a criminal background check, iris scan,Trump Administration Considers Ways To Up Vetting Of Refugeeshttp://bpr.org/post/trump-administration-considers-ways-vetting-refugees
61307 as http://bpr.orgFri, 03 Feb 2017 09:58:00 +0000Trump Administration Considers Ways To Up Vetting Of RefugeesDeborah AmosCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: President Trump has followed through on a campaign pledge to stop the flow of Syrian refugees to the U.S. He signed an executive order that he says will impose new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States. NPR's Deborah Amos covers this issue for us and joins us now with more. Hi, Deb. DEBORAH AMOS, BYLINE: Hi there. SHAPIRO: So what is in this executive order that President Trump signed today? AMOS: Ari, this really shakes up how the United States welcomes the world's most vulnerable people. We now have the text. The entire refugee program is suspended for 120 days. Syrian refugees are declared detriment to the interest of the United States, they will be barred. When the programs resume, the numbers go down by 50 percent. The U.S. has taken in 30,000, so we're only talking about another 20,000, 50,000 in all. For the first time, the U.S. will prioritize Christian refugees, claims made byTrump Takes Action To Cut Flow Of Refugees Entering U.S.http://bpr.org/post/trump-takes-action-cut-flow-refugees-entering-us
61049 as http://bpr.orgSat, 28 Jan 2017 01:12:00 +0000Trump Takes Action To Cut Flow Of Refugees Entering U.S.Deborah AmosCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: President Trump has followed through on a campaign pledge to cut the flow of Syrians entering the United States. He signed an executive action that he says will impose new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States. NPR's Deborah Amos has been covering this refugee issue for us and joins us now. Deb, we have seen the president sign this executive action. We have not read the document. What are we hearing might be in it? DEBORAH AMOS, BYLINE: Exactly. We really don't have the text. But from what we know from a Fox interview last night, an interview with a Christian broadcaster today and a leaked document earlier in the week, it's been widely reported that he will halt refugee admissions for 120 days, cut the number of refugees admitted this year by 50 percent and indefinitely stop the admission of Syrian refugees. It - this is really a shake-up of how the United States welcomes the world's mostTrump Signs Executive Action To Impose 'New Vetting Measures' For Refugeeshttp://bpr.org/post/trump-signs-executive-action-impose-new-vetting-measures-refugees
61046 as http://bpr.orgFri, 27 Jan 2017 23:22:00 +0000Trump Signs Executive Action To Impose 'New Vetting Measures' For RefugeesDeborah AmosAfter a presidential campaign that divided the country on immigration, some of the most fervent anti-refugee advocates say their views and agenda have now moved into the mainstream under President Donald Trump. His appointments, including top White House advisers and his nominee for attorney general, are powerful allies who support suspending the U.S. refugee resettlement program — the largest in the world — or an outright ban on accepting refugees from "terror-prone" countries. From now on, "I think you are going to see a very different attitude to the whole program and the whole problem," says Frank Gaffney, head of the Center for Security Policy and a leading anti-immigration advocate. In Barack Obama's Washington, Gaffney — described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as "one of America's most notorious Islamophobes, gripped by paranoid fantasies about Muslims destroying the West from within" — was considered on the fringe of the refugee debate. But no longer. "I would put the workA Vermont Town In The Eye Of The Refugee Resettlement Stormhttp://bpr.org/post/vermont-town-eye-refugee-resettlement-storm
60901 as http://bpr.orgTue, 24 Jan 2017 19:58:18 +0000A Vermont Town In The Eye Of The Refugee Resettlement StormDeborah AmosWhen Almothana Alhamoud, a 31-year-old Syrian data analyst, arrived in Chicago two years ago after fleeing the Syrian war, he jumped at his first job offer, a nightshift cashier at a convenience store. "When I came over here I just want to find anything to survive," he says over dinner with his family in Chicago. His parents and two sisters fled Damascus six months after he did. The family has applied for asylum in the U.S. Alhamoud has a bachelor's degree in computer engineering. His career as a data analyst for Syria's Agriculture Ministry was cut short by the war. In job interviews in Chicago, he struggled with English and discovered his Syrian degree was not recognized. He feared he would have to get by in low-wage jobs. "It was cold and it was the worst winter I ever seen in my life. I was struggling there," he says, now looking back. According to a new report from the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, nearly 1.5 million college-educated immigrants were employed in lowHow One U.S. Group Turns Migrants Into Employeeshttp://bpr.org/post/how-one-us-group-turns-migrants-employees
59854 as http://bpr.orgWed, 28 Dec 2016 21:42:00 +0000How One U.S. Group Turns Migrants Into EmployeesDeborah AmosOsama, a Syrian refugee who resettled five months ago in Princeton, N.J., did not sleep on election night after listening to the results. "The whole world is affected by American elections," he said during an English lesson with his wife, Ghada, the next morning at their dining room table. The family, which still has relatives in Syria, has asked that it be identified by first names only. Osama knows about American voters' divided response to Syrian refugees and President-elect Donald Trump's campaign promises to block Syrian refugees and send back those taken in by the U.S. But he isn't sure what to expect. His confusion over what's ahead mirrors the concerns of many other refugee families amid post-election reports of hate crimes against minorities. "If they bring us back, it's not a problem for us," Osama said, weighing the post-election possibility of a reversal of his U.S. resettlement and a return to a refugee camp in Jordan or even to Syria. His words seemed a bit of bravadoAfter Trump's Election, Uncertainty For Syrian Refugees In The U.S.http://bpr.org/post/after-trumps-election-uncertainty-syrian-refugees-us
58487 as http://bpr.orgThu, 24 Nov 2016 09:46:00 +0000After Trump's Election, Uncertainty For Syrian Refugees In The U.S.Deborah Amoshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVHdu4Br3Ds Donald Trump's election has sent tremors through America's refugee advocate community, and caused fear and uncertainty among the most recently resettled refugees, the Syrians. They listened with alarm as candidate Trump called them "terrorists" and blamed them, incorrectly, for violent attacks in America. "That rhetoric has had an impact," says Becca Heller, director of the International Refugee Assistance Project , a legal aid program. "Trump has been successful in politicizing refugee admissions in a way that they have not been politicized before." The United States is the world's leading resettlement country for refugees; historically, the program has had bipartisan support and has been a mainstay of U.S. foreign policy. Syrian resettlement was extremely limited during the first years of a war that began as a peaceful protest against a repressive regime in 2011. The number of Syrians resettled in the U.S. was 105 in 2014 and rose to 1,682For Refugees And Advocates, An Anxious Wait For Clarity On Trump's Policyhttp://bpr.org/post/refugees-and-advocates-anxious-wait-clarity-trumps-policy
58103 as http://bpr.orgTue, 15 Nov 2016 10:08:00 +0000For Refugees And Advocates, An Anxious Wait For Clarity On Trump's PolicyDeborah AmosFadi al-Asmi has learned to adjust his Syrian pastries to American tastes at the City Steam Brewery café in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. "America, chocolate!" he says, as he adjusts his baseball cap and serves his latest chocolate-encrusted confection. It's not the only thing he's learned since he and his family were catapulted into a new life after arriving as refugees in May. There's a beautiful system in America compared to Syria, Asmi explains through an interpreter. "Over there, the big guys eat the little guys," he says. "Here, I feel that the little guys have a chance to rise up and become a big guy, without eating the little guy." Asmi is a refugee from Damascus, where he co-owned a pastry shop. He lost his home and business in a war that forced this father of three to flee Syria with his family in 2012. His skills landed him a job at the cafe in Hartford, where he's absorbing a new culture. "It's the thing that surprised me the most," he says about his new home. "I have aFor Syrian Refugees In Connecticut, A Helping Hand From Private Volunteershttp://bpr.org/post/syrian-refugees-connecticut-helping-hand-private-volunteers
57438 as http://bpr.orgSun, 30 Oct 2016 13:06:00 +0000For Syrian Refugees In Connecticut, A Helping Hand From Private VolunteersDeborah AmosThe airstrikes in Aleppo, Syria, are ferocious in the rebel-held enclave of the city. Apartment blocks collapse into storms of concrete dust. Civilians stream into barely functioning hospitals. Half of the casualties are children. "Bombing a school in 2016 shouldn't be normal, shouldn't be OK," insists Marcell Shehwaro, a 32-year-old Syrian activist, who runs a network of informal schools out of basements in the devastated city. Classrooms, bakeries, hospitals and even rescue workers are targeted in her hometown during the most merciless airstrikes of a war now five years old. "Stopping the bombing is what I need right now," she says in an interview in New York. Shehwaro was part of a delegation of Syrian civil society workers at the United Nations. They came to confront world leaders over the Russian and Syrian offensive in Syria after a short-lived ceasefire collapsed. Shehwaro has been an activist throughout Syria's war and clings to her goal of transforming the country into aDespite The Odds, Syrian Activist Keeps Basement Schools Running In Aleppohttp://bpr.org/post/despite-odds-syrian-activist-keeps-basement-schools-running-aleppo
56273 as http://bpr.orgSat, 01 Oct 2016 21:46:52 +0000Despite The Odds, Syrian Activist Keeps Basement Schools Running In AleppoDeborah AmosOn a bright spring afternoon this May, Tom Charles drove to Newark International Airport to pick up a family of Syrian refugees. Charles is an attorney and a bank consultant, devoted to data and details, but he had scant information on the family that would become part of his life for the next year. He was also sure the Syrian family knew nothing about his team from Nassau Presbyterian Church, who would drive them from the airport to a donated house in Princeton, N.J. "They know nothing about us. Nothing at all," said Charles, "They are arriving at the airport and they've only been told that someone will greet you." When the Syrian family landed they were surprised to see a smiling group of strangers at the airport arrival hall with gifts for the four young children. The 10 suitcases that arrived along with the refugees surprised the church team. "We had assumed they would have no luggage, or not much luggage, and I thought, what is all this stuff?" said Sue Jennings, a veteran of theThe Hopes (Security) And Fears (Bears) Of Syrian Refugees In New Jerseyhttp://bpr.org/post/hopes-security-and-fears-bears-syrian-refugees-new-jersey
55700 as http://bpr.orgSat, 17 Sep 2016 13:14:00 +0000The Hopes (Security) And Fears (Bears) Of Syrian Refugees In New JerseyDeborah AmosWhen 31 governors called for a ban on Syrian refugees coming into the U.S. after last November's terrorist attacks in Paris, it united faith-based communities across the country. They are challenging the wave of opposition to these refugees by taking a leading role in resettling them. "If they didn't have the churches and synagogues providing what they do, this system would collapse," says Jennifer Quigley, referring to the federal resettlement program that is now under attack from Congress and many governors. Quigley is a strategist for refugee protection with Human Rights First , an advocacy group that has pressed the administration to increase Syrian resettlement from the pledged goal of 10,000 in 2016 to 100,000 in fiscal year 2017. In Highland Park, a diverse, densely populated township in central New Jersey, a young pastor, the Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, has become a powerful advocate for refugees, raising money, creating an interfaith coalition and starting a refugee-staffed churchAs U.S. Politicians Shun Syrian Refugees, Religious Groups Embrace Themhttp://bpr.org/post/us-politicians-shun-syrian-refugees-religious-groups-embrace-them
54095 as http://bpr.orgWed, 10 Aug 2016 14:23:00 +0000As U.S. Politicians Shun Syrian Refugees, Religious Groups Embrace ThemDeborah AmosThe Obama administration is on track to make its goal of admitting and resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees before the end of September, despite concerns that Islamic militants could enter with them. "The current pace of arrivals will continue thru the end of this fiscal year so we may exceed 10,000," said Anne Richard, assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration in a conference call with reporters on Friday. "For next year, we will continue to welcome large numbers of Syrians." After a slow start, the resettlements accelerated to 8,000 by early August; Syrian who have fled violence and persecution in their country's brutal civil war. More than half of the arrivals are under 18, according to Richard. "It is moving fast. The month of July has been our busiest month," says Mahmoud Mahmoud, director of Church World Service in Jersey City, New Jersey. Church World Service is one of nine official resettlement agencies that implements the federal program.U.S. Is On Target To Accept And Resettle 10,000 Syrian Refugeeshttp://bpr.org/post/us-target-accept-and-resettle-10000-syrian-refugees
53921 as http://bpr.orgFri, 05 Aug 2016 21:46:00 +0000U.S. Is On Target To Accept And Resettle 10,000 Syrian RefugeesDeborah AmosFour years ago, veteran war correspondent Marie Colvin, an American reporter for a British newspaper, was killed in Syria. Now her family has filed a lawsuit alleging that high-ranking Syrian officials deliberately killed the award-winning reporter. Colvin, 56, died in shelling after reporting from Homs, a city held by rebels and under attack from government forces. The young French photographer Rémi Ochlik was also killed. The two had been working in a makeshift media center in Baba Amr, the district of Homs under the heaviest shelling. Two other Western journalists were wounded, but survived, as more than 10 rockets destroyed the media center. The lawsuit alleges Colvin was "assassinated by Syrian government agents as she reported on the suffering of civilians." Lawyers say it's the first U.S. case brought against the Syrian regime over its conduct in the 5-years-running civil war. "It's extremely important that we get the full story," says Scott Gilmore, an attorney with the CenterLawsuit Targets Syrian Regime In Journalist's Killinghttp://bpr.org/post/lawsuit-targets-syrian-regime-journalists-killing
52646 as http://bpr.orgMon, 11 Jul 2016 04:52:57 +0000Lawsuit Targets Syrian Regime In Journalist's Killing